When Margaret Nowell of Nowell and Company met with her clients about their beach home in Pine Knoll Shores, she got her marching orders for a restful retreat and she couldn’t wait to get started.
The homeowners found a beautiful lot with a stunning view, and they wanted the home they built to only accentuate the landscape, not obstruct it. Having worked with them on two other homes, Margaret had a pretty good idea of what would make her clients happy, so she stood by from construction to completion.
“I ask lots of questions and listen carefully,” Margaret says. “It’s all about understanding my client, what their vision is and choosing the correct furnishings and fabrics to create their look.” Margaret adds that her clients are so inspiring to her design ideas; it helps to work together with them to come up with the best possible look and feel. It doesn’t hurt that her mother, an artist, spent hours with Margaret painting and creating things with her, giving her the gift of a great eye for colors and blends.
Over the next year, Margaret worked with the homeowners to get the floor plan, development and interior design in place. Pulling pieces from her own showroom in Nowell and Company, she created a calming mix of neutrals with pops of blue and combinations of wood and stone that highlighted the panoramic views of the ocean. “I tell my homeowners to stay in their comfort zone with the big pieces and add the fun with accessories,” says Margaret. “Home is where we unwind each day, it needs to be your nest – comfort, physical and emotional, is what makes a house a home.”
Margaret adds that while it wasn’t the case in this project, sometimes it’s hard for clients to convey what they want. “I present numerous things until I see a glint in their eyes,” she says. “People can’t always communicate the look they’re after, but they know. It’s my job to crack the code!”
When asked what her favorite room in this beach home is, she says it has to be the bar room, recalling that it has a great story. “It was a space that kept getting smaller during the building process and my client came up with the idea of making it a bar area,” she explains. “I custom designed the front and back bar to fit the space exactly, and measured the wall a million times trying to make sure it was right for the design I had in mind. My obsession soon became a joke that we still laugh about today."